For years, I hated tomatoes. I linked them with the evil smell of the tomato plants... that totally stomach churning, wierd smell that they eminate into the atmosphere.
In the past five or more years, I have developed a taste for them. I really quite like them and last week when I was at Mum and Dad's, I spied a bowl of tomatoes on top of the bread bin, the last of their crop for this year.After quickly securing their immeadiate return to my house, I surfed the web looking for the tomato sauce recipe I knew I wanted to try.
I knew I didn't have enough tomatoes so I had to supplemnt them with a few shop bought ones. Can you spot the difference?
It makes you wonder about the food that you are buying and consuming doesn't it? Look how red the home grown one is compared to the pale fleshed shop bought?
Once all the ingredients had been prepared, I printed off this recipe from Soule Mama ( scroll down to Our tomato sauce, dated 21st September) and started cooking.
Double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble (Shakespeare!)
Look at the magnificent colour! I fried some mince (MaDGe's fav!!) and added it to the pot with 30 mins to go..... once cooked out, I served....
......... and scoffed the lot down quick sticks! Look at that glorious, additive free bolognese sauce. It tasted bloody delish! I would recommend this sauce to anyone and although the herbs cost and arm and a leg, I bought living pots of basil and thyme, planning to pot them out in the garden to over winter. Does anyone know if herbs survive during winter?
Prior to making this, MaDGe and I have been in discussions re growing our own veg. When I say discussions, it really is me telling him I want to try and do it! We have bought a compost bin and have been saving our fruit and veg peelings, tea bags and cardboard like good little recyclers! Trouble is, the compost bin is located at the furthest away point from our kitchen. The going may get tough during the winter months when we have to trudge out in the rain and the rain and the rain!!
We (read I) plan on getting a greenhouse or mini green house so we can grow tomatoes (and maybe peppers) next year. Does Santa deliver them? We also plan to plant tomatoes, carrots, turnip, some sort of bean and peas.
The going will get tough, especially as we are total novices to the growing lark, but armed with a Carol Klein book, and lots of desire to produce and eat home grown food, I think we will at least attempt to mimick the Good Life . As long as I'm not having to look after pigs or we turn into Jerry and Margot, then we will be doing just fine!
Right, I'm off to eat some left over spaghetti with tomato sauce for breakfast! Yum!!!
